1Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write
the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a
safeguard for you.

2Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers,
beware of the false circumcision; 3for we are the true
circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ
Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, 4although I
myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a
mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5circumcised
the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a
Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6as to
zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is
in the Law, found blameless.

7But whatever things were gain to me, those things I
have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8More than
that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
9and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of
my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith
in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the
basis of faith, 10that I may know Him and the power of
His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death; 11in order that I may attain to
the resurrection from the dead.

12Not that I have already obtained it or have
already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of
that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13Brethren,
I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one
thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching
forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward
the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this
attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will
reveal that also to you; 16however, let us keep living by
that same standard to which we have attained.

17Brethren, join in following my example, and observe
those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18For
many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping,
that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19whose
end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose
glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
20For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly
wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21who will
transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body
of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to
subject all things to Himself.

The Holy Bible, New American
Standard Version (c)1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977,
1995 by the Lockman
Foundation, La Habra, CA. All rights reserved. Words
identified as being spoken by Jesus are in red.www.BibleABC.net